Razer Onza Tournament Edition review

Joe Anderson
|
6 years ago

The Razer Onza Tournament Edition controller is a sweet piece of hardware, both in looks and specs. When I recently received one for review I was more than happy to test it out and thankfully from the moment I plugged it in and the buttons lit up, it’s didn’t let me down.

The first thing you notice about the Razer Onza Tournament Edition is the comfort and design. Holding the controller is a pleasing experience as it has been designed to bring comfort during a prolonged period of gaming. All the standard buttons are included on the device, although there are also an extra two shoulder buttons which can be reprogrammed using two buttons on the back of the device.

It has to be said that providing users with the option to reprogram two of the buttons is a fantastic idea. Remapping buttons is an easy affair, you simply turn the control around and on the back there is the option to choose which functions you wish each button to perform. Remapping the buttons certainly helps in games such as Call of Duty as it can make your life much easier, when reloading for example. I am sure gamers will find many uses for these remap buttons, and considering the diversity in games these days, it will make gamers happy to know that they can have some control over which buttons do what.

The remap buttons aren’t the only string to this controllers bow, Razor has also included adjustable resistance analogue sticks, allowing you to tighten or loosen them depending on your preference. There are a few issues with the analogue sticks do feel a lot looser than the original controller, which I guess could pose a problem in some games, however I can’t report any issues so far from my end.

As mentioned the action buttons, which have a mechanical feel when pressed, light up, meaning it shouldn’t be too hard to find your controller if you drop it at two in the morning. More importantly, thanks to the design they do seem to respond quicker than the standard controller’s action buttons.

One of the most important features of any controller, the trigger buttons, have also been tweaked. The trigger buttons have an almost hook-like design, meaning that your fingers will have a hard time slipping off. Again the trigger buttons are very responsive and although thinner, they are an improvement over the original controller in my opinion. The main improvement over Microsoft’s controller is the D-pad, which is raised and feels a lot more useful than the original. Diagonal presses are a lot simpler to achieve on the Razer controller, while any other command is registered as soon as you press the button. If I could take one feature off this controller and place it on the original, the D-Pad would definitely be it.

Razor Onza’s main issue for me is that it’s a wired controller, and even though the cable stretches 2.5 meters, I just miss having the freedom that wireless brings. Microsoft, for reasons only known to them, won’t allow third-party manufacturers to produce wireless controllers for the Xbox 360, which is a real shame as it could really have made the difference here.

There is no doubt that the Razer Onza Tournament Edition controller is a high quality addition to the hardware line-up of the Xbox 360. Not everyone gets on with the official controller, and if you are one of those people then there is no doubt about it, this is the controller for you.